Point-of-Sale, Digital Signage and Mobile Cloud based solutions to help you understand what is available and how they fit together to grow your business. We welcome contributions 'on-topic'
Point-of-Sale can be for restaurants, retail, service and more. Digital Displays and Digital Signage covers all industry types and situations where you want to get the message out to possible customers.

Monday, July 03, 2017

How to finance your digital signage solution: While self-service initiatives provide significant ROI opportunities, businesses should understand all of the necessary costs and how they plan to fit those costs within their current budget before moving forward.

5 ways digital signage can improve employee engagement: There is no debating the economic benefit of employee engagement. Results include higher productivity, better employee retention, a positive, more creative environment, and generally a better place to work for everyone. So how do you improve employee engagement in your organization? Here is a 5-step guide.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

The top 3 environmental threats to digital signage: Breakthroughs in display design and content delivery enable signage to be placed virtually anywhere. And while this is great for the industry, integrators must now manage a host of environmental challenges that conspire to cripple these creative new installations.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Last-minute federal injunction halts OT rules: Less than a week before the overtime regulations were to kick in, a federal judge in Texas has blocked the rule that would have made an estimated 4 million American workers eligible to claim overtime pay.

Retailers can upsell with digital signage: What can a retail environment create that online competitors such as Amazon cannot? The answer is obvious: an amazing, in-person experience. Video walls offer an unparalleled rich, immersive visual experience.

Digital menu boards: Overhyped or beneficial?: Digital menu boards are a hotly debated topic across food industry forums. The cost to enter is high. There are however, many benefits to making the jump to digital signage in the restaurant industry.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Digital signage tells you you're driving the wrong car: Imagine driving down the highway in your Toyota when you notice the digital billboard off to the right change its message to tell you a Chevy Malibu gets better gas mileage than your Camry. That's the kind of impression digital signage delivers.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The Coffee Pot - more than just a coffee shop

(especially now that she has a New Menu Board with Breakfast & Lunch)

Just another example of our design team.

So what are you waiting for? An invitation? Guess what, we can do it on a Digital Display board for you. Anything that you can imagine - we can create. Just give us a chance to dance on your screens. Your own restaurant will sparkle with a Digital Menu board that changes for each Meal Time. They are so much better than those cheap plastic boards from Coke or Pepsi.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

You have probably heard that Windows XP Support is ending on April 8, 2014. What you may not realize is that Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 is the XP version of Embedded and will also be ending on April 8, 2014.

What does that Mean for Customers running a Point of Sale terminal that has POSReady 2009 as the operating system?

It means that there will be no security updates, no patches, no support for bugs or errors and many new software package will NOT run on these.

In addition, any system that is running Credit Card software will not longer by PCI Compliant for Security since not updates will be issued for known vulnerabilities.

There is also No Direct Upgrade Path from POSReady 2009 (XP) to any other Operating System, therefore you will need to move your database to a new blank hard drive - preferably on a New POS Terminal. Give us a call to get a Quote on a new PCI Compliant POS Terminal and protect your investment. The cost of a Data Breach will far exceed any cost of New Hardware.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Join over the next three days for fun, food, eductation and entertainment at the New England Food Show in Boston. Assured Computing Technologies, Ind will have a full display of our Digital Signage and Point of Sale offerings for yo to view including the new Aldelo Touch. We are in booth 3259. Stop by and say Hi

Thursday, January 23, 2014

ACT-POS Mobility has Something for Everyone!

Everyone talks about the cloud, but what is it really and how will it affect you? CLOUD is a fancy word for 'Remote' meaning that the application or process that you are using is loaded 'remotely on a Server somewhere in the world. Until they actually learn how to make Servers float in the air and produce rain or snow - it's just a pretty picture. Server 'Farms' are located all around the world with some companies operating several, some for their own internal use and others for outside use. Microsoft is a great example of this type of use. The software that resides on these Servers is licensed for use to others by paying a monthly subscription. The low price of Monthly subscriptions versus buying a major software package outright, can be tremendous for a small business.

Cloud based programs cover the entire spectrum of needs today in many offices. Everything from Office 365 from Microsoft to Hosted Digital Signage messaging, Remote Back-up, Accounting software and too many to mention here.﻿

BUT, if you are in the market for any type of software or back-up, contact us first with your needs and chances are that we have a low cost solution.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Not just for Menu Boards, Digital Signage and Displays are everywhere a printed sign or poster exists. They are easily changed.

Another Stunning Example of the change from static printed sign to the glossy flashy LCD version. This Building Directory was dark and haunting. We brightened and lightened the display on a 55" LCD Monitor. Learn more at www.ACTDigitalDisplays.com

Friday, August 23, 2013

Roast Beef Sandwich Diner Make-Over!

We recently did a Menu Board makeover for one of our customers. The old Menu boards were plastic, dark and depressing, prone to dirt in the grooves, cluttered and hard to read. We replaced the existing 7 panels with 2 - 47" LG Commercial Monitors that brighten up the entire front counter!
See for yourself!

Now picture your place of business with bright new shiny LCD's - cost is less than you think!

A Point of Sale system is and should be more than a 'nice to have' item in your store or restaurant. Windows based or Apple based - both get the job done!

In this current economy when everyone is looking for the least cost, return on investment and value, a Point of Sale system guarantees all three if purchased and used correctly.
What does that mean in English? Simply that many businesses do not really understand what a POS system is, how to buy one, how it can improve and perhaps even save their business - not even considering that it really can save money - even over the short term.

Everyone talks about Return on Investment, but in today's economy who has time to wait? Most folks want to see Real Savings NOW, not next year.
Let's look at both Retail and Restaurant POS systems which are similar in function but different in performance.-RETAIL: How fast can you service your existing customers using the system that you currently have in place? What I mean by this is best shown by example. I come into your store and while casually walking around I ask a clerk for the price of an item, or want to know if a certain item is available in a different color or style. How does your clerk respond? Does he or she have to go to a manual printed listing? Is the information perhaps in an Excel spreadsheet? Do you need to contact the vendor? How long do I have to wait before I get the answer to my simple questions? While your clerk is getting the information for me, how many additional customers are waiting for help? How many give up and walk out because it was never acknowledged that they were even there? If I decide not to buy because the price is unattractive after you have searched for me, how much potential profit did your loose? Not just mine, but other customers who were ignored? This may not happen if you am a large merchant with several clerks, but if I am a Sole Proprietor and often work by myself who takes care of my customers?

The same process using a POS system would have allowed you to quickly scan the item at a POS station, verify the price, check availability in different styles/colors and even find out who the distributor is to contact for similiar items if needed. How long would that take? About 5 minutes give or take. Not only have you quickly taken care of the customer, but possibly gained a LOYAL customer for future sales and still had time to handle the other customers easily. So how does that save money? First you wasted less time, time is money. Are your employees on the clock? Second, how much money is your own time worth?

Do you need to order more of the item for the customer or hopefully restock the shelves because they purchased the last ones? Simple again. Go into your POS system, choose the item, select the vendor and process a reorder - print it out or even email it directly. A few minutes tops!

-RESTAURANT: A very similiar situation arises. A new customer comes in for lunch or dinner. While the customer stands around at the register or sits down waiting for someone to acknowledge their presence, all of your staff is in the kitchen either arguing over the last customers order that the waitress hand wrote in shorthand for no sauce and the cook interpreted as meaning extra sauce. In the meantime the new customer may hear the argueing and wonder if they chose the right place and time. When the staff finally gets to the customer and begins taking their order, it may include a dinner salad and drink. In many establishments the wait staff prepares their own salads. No need to write it down, just add it to the bill later. Oh and that drink at the bar? The order is called over and prepared - never written down, never charged. When the customer is finally served and IF the meal was correct this time, they may leave a tip. However if the staff forgot something because it wasn't written down correctly or the kitchen prepared it wrong - where is the tip now? When the customer is ready to leave the wait staff walks over to a calculator and begins adding everything up. However they have another customer waiting to be seated and an order ready for pick-up in the kitchen so they rush through the bill. Is it correct? The customer may or may not comment, pay the bill and leave. The next time they may choose a different restaurant with faster service and more attentive staff. Maybe even leave a tip at the other owners restaurant. Will they tell their friends about how great your place was?

What if you had a POS system in place, what would be different? First and most importantly the staff would be on the floor taking care of each customer as they arrive. There would be little or no waiting for service. Orders between the wait staff and kitchen staff would be easily communicated through printed orders that are uniform for every item, modifier, drink and billable item. No more shortcuts 'I meant this! That's not what you wrote!' Because the staff is in the front of the house instead of out back, the customer feels more important when all their needs are met promptly. There is the opportunity to sell more - extra drinks, deserts, optional add-ons with each meal. When it is time to pay, the bill is printed in a matter of seconds with everything listed, totalled correctly and perhaps even Suggested Tip listed at the bottom. This customer is sure to tell their friends and family about the great attentive staff and experience (this is true even if the meal wasn't perfect). You've increased sales, insured that everything was billed accordingly and perhaps through word of mouth gained a few new customers.

Did your Customer Come Back Yet?

Obviously everyone wants to know what happened to the customers that haven't yet come back. The economy has yet to give us the great influx of new dollars from the Stimulus packages.
More folks are saving more and spending less. Where are the dollars they are spending going? Into VALUE, seems to be the general opinion. While many retailers have seen sales drops and chains are closing stores, Wal-Mart has continued to flourish. Is it really that they have such great products and their prices are unbeatable? Hardly. It is the perceived value of the customer. Wal-Mart is hardly 'giving away' items. They may have low pricing on some items, but they are still making a healthy profit. Lowes new lower pricing. Home Depot lower pricing. Local supermarket lower pricing.

Is it really 'lower pricing' or the perception that is attracting shoppers? Quizno's started a price war with $5.00 Subs, now there is hardly a Chain that doesn't have a $5.00 or less sandwich, pizza or meal deal. In some cases it is the same product they had before - with no change just different emphasis on marketing.

What 'VALUE' do you offer your customers? Whether it is Retail, Restaurants, Services or something that is a combination there must be a 'value' associated with your offering to compete. Why should I take batting lessons at YOUR place? Why is your Soup and Salad Special better than the one next door? We can't tell you, but if you ask some on your regular customers why they keep coming, you may find an Advertising point that you haven't thought of yet.

Do you have Survey Cards? Do you ask customers for feedback? How was your food, how was your lesson, how was that new outfit you bought last week? Your personal touch alone could be the 'value' your customers appreciate. But you won't know if you don't ask.

THIS JUST IN!Assured Computing Technologies, Inc. will be Exhibiting at the Vermont Grocers Association in Burlington, Vermont with our full load of Point-of-Sale and Digital Signage displays. We will be in booths 104-106

Vermont's largest food industry show just got better. A wide array of events are planned for all food industry members including:
• New Dates, Expo now on Friday, 9/27
• Matchmaker sessions between retailers and exhibitors on Friday morning
• Thursday Golf Outing at the Cedar Knoll Country Club
• Monte Carlo Night & Reception at the Doubletree Hotel
• Friday's Chairman's Banquet at the Doubletree will feature Burlington's own Improv Group
• Closing Saturday Brunch & annual meeting

A 'Baker's Dozen' of savings! We have partnered with one of the leading finance houses in the country to offer our customers a special selection of payment options. Beginning with a Bakers Dozen. Take your total, divide by 12, Add 1 Extra payment and closing costs and that is the total of your Finance costs. No Monthly Payments and pricing you can afford. Got your own clients that you would like to offer this too? Give us a call and we can share the 'secret sauce'. We also have conventional leases up to 60 months for easy qualifiers. Think that you might not fit our requirements? You could be surprised. Get more information today.

In an issue of 'Restaurant Startup & Growth' magazine (a publication of www.restaurantowner.com ) there is a great article on discounting called "BLUE PLATE SPECIAL' by Patricia Luebke, which discusses the virtues and pitfalls of offering discounts. She offers actual case studies and examples from current restaurant owners. The insights are telling in that they not only apply to restaurants but also any business operation that sells to the public. While I was reading this article I thought about many of our customers outside the restaurant industry. Retail, Services, Airlines and more could all take a page from this article and apply it to their own operation. One of the chief tenants of her story is "once you discount, how do you go back?' How do you value something for more after you charged less. Two dinners for $15.95? After the recession ends how do I go back to my Dinner for $12.95 EACH?

Take for example a Membership Club that offers exclusive benefits for it's members at a premium cost. The economy has impacted their membership with several members electing to not renew - even though they believed that the price was well worth the the benefits they received. To maintain their revenue stream, they send out a mass mailing in the area offering 50% Discount for all new member applications. As Club owner, I am getting many new members, but at half the price and half the profit of the old membership cost. My utilities are the same. I still need to have staff on hand. What have I accomplished?

What about the existing member? I been loyal to the club for a year or more paying twice as much for the same facility usage. My renewal comes up and it is the same as always. What do I get? I am told that the discount rate is only for New members, so I let my membership lapse and go elsewhere. As the owner I have just lost a loyal client who may never come back. And the New member? They may stay for a couple months and leave.

The TAKE-AWAY? Add something more, or offer a discount on something you haven't had before. An example for the Club might be 'SPECIAL SWIM CLUB ONLY RATE' (doesn't include the workout facility.) You decide what's right for your business but beware - anything you give away today, you can't charge for tomorrow without expecting backlash.

Do You have a C-Store or a G-Store? How abut an A-Store?StoreTender is a full featured grocery package designed to handle the demanding requirements of today's supermarkets. Individual modules allow you to select the areas of operation you wish to control such as ordering, receiving, pricing, sales ads, shelf labels, loyalty programs, inventory control, cashier management, and of course, point of sale.

In addition to accurate and reliable operations, StoreTender can expedite your check-out process translating into a more enjoyable shopping experience for your customer. A common complaint of grocery shoppers is the length of time they spend in the checkout line.

In today's instant society, faster check-out times can translate into repeat customers and increased profits. Eliminate the bottleneck at your checkout counter by installing StoreTender today!

With StoreTender installed your customers will give you an A or even an A+ for Service!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Back to basics and beyond may seem like a strange title, but I believe that is exactly where the Point of Sale industry along with our customers is heading.

POS systems offer so much added utility - sometimes too much for the average store or restaurant owner to utilize in a short period of time. a POS system is designed to assist you in running your business more profitably and for the most part they do a great job. However, all of the reports, functions and myriad options can get in the way of actually using the system in the best way - IF the owner/manager has not been adequately trained.

In the current economy taking care of the customer is 'job one'. If you can't do that, you close - period. And unfortunately we have seen too many of our customers closing their doors recently. Businesses that were running successfully for years suddenly empty ghost towns. We have to ask why? What worked before to keep the customers coming that changed in the course of a few months? It was more than the economy 'stupid'. In some cases the owners lost focus on the idea of creating business and only looked at the bottom line. When they couldn't increase profits, they began cutting costs. When cost cutting pushed more customers away because of lack of customer service, they downsized more. How far down can you go before there is nothing left?

So what am I trying to say? Use your POS system to track sales, monitor inventory, keep track of customer history and customers information for marketing. But for now leave the bells and whistles on the side until you have more time.

A great Point of Sale system doesn't have to cost a fortune to do what you need it to do, which is handle the items above. Anything else is simply 'extra' for now. Spend you money and your time in keeping the customers you have and gaining a few new ones by understanding what they really what and need. And what is that? You! Out front speaking to each and every one of them and genuinely Thanking them for their business and loyalty.

Friday, February 06, 2009

I recently posted a Discussion Question across several qroups that we belong too on Linkedin regarding Webinars, i.e. do they work, which are best etc. and was pleasantly surprised by the number of responses I received. Below is just one sample of responses from ChannelWeb Group. Linkedin DOES work when you have something to ask.

Do Webinars work for customer interaction? Which ones are the best? There are so many choices that it's difficult to know who to go with. I would appreciate your experiences and choices.

Comments (8)

Hi Frank,

I have used webinars very successfully. They give customers an opportunity to participate in an information/education session without feeling like they are in a sales pressure situation. I used to schedule regular "First Tuesday" sessions , where the first tuesday of every month, we would have a webinar on some topic of interest to customers. That would always generate traffic to our web site for more information or directly to sales.

I am a fan of webinars.

Best of luck,

Marty

Have used WebEx mostly, expensive offering - but becoming corporate standard in most places. Most WebEx offer the same feature/functionality, regarding customer interaction, I think having a customized presentation is the most important thing based on the end-user information / problem, if you're just going through your vanilla presentation you may hit a lot of points which may not be pertinent to them and they will zone out altogether. (easier on Webex than in person where you can gauge response and easily adapt)

I have found webinars to be extremely beneficial, especially in this day of reduced travel budgets. They are especially good for introductory product information, ongoing refresher training, or drill down on product details when a rapport has already been established. Fusion has a great service that is relatively inexpensive. It has the same capabilities as WebEx but without the hefty price-tag. Let me know if you want a contact at Fusion. http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efusiontel%2Ecom&urlhash=G00R&_t=tracking_discor send me an inmail and I'll give you my contact's name and phone number. Good luck!

In terms of webinars, I'm a big fan of the really interactive ones. Most Webex or LiveMeeting type applications allow you to run polls or quizzes during the webinar to keep people engaged. Good luck.

Hi, I just wanted to also "chip in".

I too have used Webex as a platform for both Webinars and training of resellers throughout Europe (on IT products). I was forced to drink the house wine, since it was the software of choice for the company I was working for. But to be honest, I would use it again and will. They (webex) have been recently bought by Cisco, which give them huge credibility.

It worked really well for me on an international scale, where network band-width was an issue. Customers dialed into a phone conference for audio (you can automate this from within webex - NEVER do audio over the web!) and I found that I could not only present, but also "interact" with my audience (typical size - 30).

Good luck, Alan

Our organization runs a LIVE education and product demonstration seminar around Managed Services for Solution Providers twice weekly and we have received only positive feedback. We get a great turn out and rarely have any hiccups. We are running audio both over the phone or over the web (we offer the choice now but Alan offers some good advice). We have even started to run videos in the middle of it (they are a little more touchy but get the message across none the less). We keep our phone lines muted, to keep the demo on track but offer up a Q&A panel so Solution Providers can type in their questions and get answers - real time. We've been using WebEx as well and they have been solid.

Monday, February 02, 2009

Hewlett-Packard announced ZERO % Interest Financing last Thursday for 12 months, same as Cash. What does this mean for you? It gives you a little breathing room if you're looking for new technology at a price you can afford. With the wide variety of products that HP offers it should be easy to find the right technology to improve your business efficiency. You can get that New Point of Sale system with the software that is going to run circles around your old cash register and save money doing it. Best part is that you get the 3 years ON-SITE Warranty FREE when you buy a POS system with the software of your choice from us loaded on a new Hewlett-Packard system.

Want to know more? Call us (877) 627-0636 and let us explain how simple it is.

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